Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have huge potential as cell therapy for various diseases, given their potential for unlimited self-renewal and capability to differentiate into a wide range of cell types. Although autologous iPSCs represents the ideal source for patient-tailored regenerative medicine, the high costs of the extensive and time-consuming production process and the impracticability for treating acute conditions hinder their use for broad applications. An allogeneic iPSC-based strategy may overcome these issues, but it carries the risk of triggering an immune response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examined the immune response in subjects previously infected with SARS-CoV2 and infection-naïve 9 months after primary 2-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and 3 months after the booster dose in a longitudinal cohort of healthcare workers. Nine months after primary vaccination, previously infected subjects exhibited higher residual antibody levels, with significant neutralizing activity against distinct variants compared to infection-naïve subjects. The higher humoral response was associated with higher levels of receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific IgG and IgA memory B cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNo effective treatments are available for familial steroid-resistant Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), characterized by proteinuria due to ultrastructural abnormalities in glomerular podocytes. Here, we studied a private PAX2 mutation identified in a patient who developed FSGS in adulthood. By generating adult podocytes using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), we developed an in vitro model to dissect the role of this mutation in the onset of FSGS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbnormal kidney development leads to lower nephron number, predisposing to renal diseases in adulthood. In embryonic kidneys, nephron endowment is dictated by the availability of nephron progenitors, whose self-renewal and differentiation require a relatively repressed chromatin state. More recently, NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuins (SIRTs) have emerged as possible regulators that link epigenetic processes to the metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have great promise in regenerative medicine. However, several limitations, including immune-incompatibility, have raised concerns regarding their clinical application. Recent studies have shown that human iPSCs and their derivatives lose their immunogenicity when major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II genes are inactivated and CD47 is over-expressed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF